What Is a Man
Quote 1. Macbeth: "I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none." Lady Macbeth: What beast was ’t, then, That made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man. Nor time nor place did then adhere, and yet you would make both. They have made themselves, and that their fitness now. (act 1 scene 7 lines 5-60)
Context: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are arguing about whether or not to kill Duncan the King. Macbeth is having second thoughts and his wife is trying to convince him to continue with the plan. Lady Macbeth insults him saying that if he does not continue he is not a man and she follows up with saying that if he does continue that he would be much more than a man but a king.
Explanation: Lady Macbeth is questioning his manliness and hopes that by insulting him he will respond to prove her wrong and go along with the plan. She does not think that Macbeth has the guts to go through with it. So Macbeth taking the bait decides to prove his manliness and go through with the plan.
Quote 2. Malcolm: Be this the whetstone of your sword. Let grief convert to anger. Blunt not the heart; enrage it. (Act 4 scene 3 lines 268-269)
Context: Malcolm is trying to get Macduff to turn his grief over the death of his wife and kids into anger that he can use to fight against Macbeth. This way he will not be distracted by grief but focused by anger.
Explanation: Shakespeare is showing that a true man does not let his grief get in the way instead he uses that grief to empower himself with anger. It is also implying that if he does not do this he will blunt his sword and have less of a chance of revenge against Macbeth.
Quote 3. Lady Macbeth: The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements. Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood. Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse, (act 1 scene 5 lines 45-51)
Context: Lady Macbeth has just received the letter from Macbeth telling her of the prophecy of the weird sisters. She is worried that her husband will not have the guts to do what is needed to be done to become king so she asks him to become a cruel man.
Explanation: Lady Macbeth is saying that only a cruel and evil man could do such a horrible thing. So to be turned into a man would give her the chance to take advantage of the sisters prophecy. Essentially she wanted to become heartless like evil men. This way she will not feel any guilt for what she would do.
Quote 4. How is ‘t with me when every noise appalls me? What hands are here! Ha, they pluck out mine eyes. Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red. (Act 2 scene 2 lines 76-81)
Context: Macbeth has just killed the King and is feeling regret in doing it. He feels as though if he would wash the blood from his hands in the ocean it would turn red. With his hands never being able to be clean of the kings blood.
Explanation: This passage shows that a man can feel remorse for evil things that he has done. Macbeth is afraid of every small noise thinking that someone might have heard or seen what he did. The guilt was almost too much for him to take.
Quote 5. Lady Macduff: He had none. His flight was madness. When our actions do not, our fears do make us traitors. (Act 4 scene 2 lines 3-5)
Context: Ross a servant is trying to justify why Macduff left for England without them. But his wife does not agree and says that his fears betrayed them and made him a traitor to his family by leaving. Ross tells them they need to also flee but they do not get a chance to.
Explanation: Lady Macduff is implying that his fears of dying led him to betray his family and leave them behind. A true man would have not fled from his fears but instead kept strong with his family. Lady Macduff goes on to say that he is dead to them and is no longer the children’s father.
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